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The Madras High Court on Wednesday, June 10, dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging a Tamil Nadu government order that promoted seven IAS officers of the 1995 batch to the Chief Secretary grade, allegedly without obtaining prior approval from the Union government as required under the rules governing All India Services.
The PIL, filed by Chennai-based advocate M Balakrishnan, questioned a government order issued on December 24, 2025, under which seven senior IAS officers were promoted to the Chief Secretary grade with effect from January 1, 2026. Those promoted included then Finance Secretary T Udhayachandran, Health Secretary P Senthilkumar, School Education Secretary B Chandra Mohan, Economics and Statistics Department officer R Jaya, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation chairperson Sandhya Venugopal Sharma, Chennai Metro Rail Limited Managing Director M A Siddique, and Hitesh Kumar S Makwana, who was then serving as Surveyor General of India on central deputation.
According to the petitioner, the Tamil Nadu government had sought approval from the Union government for the promotions on November 10, 2025. However, the proposal was allegedly rejected by the competent authority on the grounds that it violated statutory provisions, including the operation of excess ex-cadre posts beyond permissible limits and the absence of prior approval from the Centre.
The petitioner contended that despite the rejection, the state government went ahead with the promotions and implemented the order. He also sought directions restraining the authorities from granting salary revisions, allowances, pensionary benefits and other monetary benefits arising from the promotions until Union government approval was secured.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that the issue warranted judicial scrutiny, alleging that the state government had developed a practice of promoting IAS officers without obtaining the Centre’s concurrence, despite such promotions carrying financial implications and being governed by All India Services rules.
A division bench comprising Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, however, declined to examine the merits of the allegations and dismissed the PIL as not maintainable. The court said it would issue a detailed order setting out the reasons for its decision.
The Union government, meanwhile, informed the court that it would take independent action on the matter irrespective of the outcome of the PIL.
